Different
by Chibi Pika
Summary: He was different. They feared him. But only Mew knows the secret behind his identity...and his destiny. One shot.


**Different**

It was a routine night, not unlike any of the rest.

There was no one else there, but that was the way I liked it, for no others dared to tread in the deepest part of the forest. I neither knew why, nor did I care. All I wanted was time to think.

So many times had I questioned to myself…wondering…longing to know how everything worked…. Why the sun rose…how far away the stars were…humans knew these things, why couldn't I?

So many times had I stared out into the infinite azure expanse and thought simply about life itself. I was told that the other Pokémon never questioned the intricate balances that all life was a part of. Never questioned why humans could build such wondrous things. How could they not?

The others had banished me because of these things. Not simply because of what I wanted to know, but because of what it meant. I had only just learned of it a fortnight ago, but I had been born with the mind of a human, and traditions from Pokémon of times long past spoke of it—said that it was a curse and would plague all those near to one who was Different.

So it was as I stared out into the endless skies, mulling over my thoughts as I watched the sun slowly sink beneath the horizon. It lay suspended there, shining its eternally life-giving warmth and painting the sky with vivid crimson, goldenrod, and brushfire. Even as I watched, it slipped behind the peaks to the south of Mt. Silver, reflecting off of the glistening snowcaps.

"Young one, may I ask what you are doing here?"

The voice startled me, for I had not expected any others, yet at the same time, it sent a chill down my spine. It reverberated throughout my mind even after the words had been spoken, and I spun around quickly to find the source of the voice.

I saw nothing behind me, nor anything hiding within the numerous branches of the darkened forest. Emerald green leaves swept at me as I spun around, but it wasn't until I looked up that I saw it.

Glowing so brilliantly that I almost had to shade my eyes, an iridescent aura surrounded the creature that hovered just inches above me. She was long and catlike, with large crystal blue eyes surrounded by a wide, pale rose, feline face. Her hind legs were long and padded, and she kept flicking her long graceful tail, as though amused by its movements.

I nearly jumped when I realized what she was. It was her—one of them. A…Legendary. I could never forget the stories I had heard of them. I tried to speak, but found that the only thing I could say was, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was in the sacred part of this forest." I jumped to a branch behind me, my feathers quivering in fear.

"I was not meaning to reprimand you, I merely asked why you didn't fear the realm of a Legendary Pokémon," the cat creature said matter-of-factly, now twisting around in midair while flicking her tail rhythmically.

I swallowed hard and replied, "Honestly, I didn't know."

"Oh," she said, looking slightly disappointed. "You know, the other Pokémon never dare to come here out of fear of that which is Legendary. I've never really understood it…haven't you been told fairy tales about the mythical Pokémon? About those who are the guardians over everything?"

"Yes," I said, feeling the sudden burst of panic die down. Now at ease, I folded my wings and answered, "The storytellers in my clan used to tell us that they only came if they were needed, but that to seek them out was a sin. They also said that the mythical Pokémon would both start and put an end to wars."

She giggled slightly. "Well, I suppose most of that was true." Twitching her ears and looking off into the forest, she asked, "But why are you here then?"

I sighed as the conversation came to this; I hadn't wanted to ever tell anyone of what had happened. "The others told me to go. They said I wasn't welcome—that nothing but trouble ever followed the appearance of one who was Different," I explained

Upon my saying that, the light rose cat surveyed me very carefully with her bright sapphire eyes, staring intently as though trying to figure something out. Cocking her head, she then replied, "One who was…Different? Are you speaking of the Legendarian blessing of _deimoros_—or, as the Legendaries say, an Anomaly?"

I glanced up at her curiously. "What's that?"

"What you just said," she replied simply. "Different." Then, closing her eyes and holding her paws up, she recited, "_Born when need comes to the land, deimoros are the key, body of monster, mind of human, just as Legendary._"

"Yes, the elders told me that," I said, nodding. "But they said it was a curse, that it only brought death and torment."

She looked as though she had expected me to say that, but then gazed off distantly, a glimmer of anger within her eyes. "Simpleminded. Ignorant. The others fear you." Then, to my surprise, Mew sighed and looked down. "But history does not lie. Indeed, misfortune has plagued the lives of those close to the _deimoros_ of the past.

"As the writings say, we have something in common—we both have the mind of a human. That extra bit of intuition that Pokémon lack. You know, humans may revere the Legendaries for their power, but Pokémon fear them for their wisdom."

I found that very odd, and was about to say so, but words just seemed to fail me, and I was hit with an overwhelming respect for the creature in front of me. She was but mere inches taller than me, yet infinitely wiser, and the constantly shimmering aura that surrounded her frame only reminded me of the ancient power that flowed within.

No longer watching me, Mew had refocused her attention on the sky, staring upward into the infinite depths of midnight blue the hovered over the entire surrounding. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked.

I too looked up, and my gaze was greeted by the glimmer of the stars. Innumerable pinpricks of light permeated the darkness, but the moon had gone dark as it did every so often.

"Have you ever been up there…you know, beyond the sky?" I asked curiously.

"No," she replied distantly, still observing the indigo expanse. "They say that humans did it, though. They did it with machines you know, but I wouldn't need one…maybe I should try it some time."

"Can I come?" I asked eagerly.

Mew turned to me with a sympathetic and almost apologetic look in her eyes. "No. Legendaries actually aren't meant to live among normal Pokémon or even humans. It hasn't always been that way, though…. A long time ago, humans, Pokémon, and Legendaries all lived together, but not now. But it's said that some day, when there is need of it, the three will join together again," she said, an almost excited air within her voice.

"How do you know such things?" I asked, the wonder rapidly rising in my mind.

She paused and said, "Legendaries can die, you know, but when one dies, another is born. And when one is born, the others teach them the secrets of the past."

"What secrets!" I exclaimed, almost on the verge of yelling. "Why can't you teach me these things?"

Again, the same expression crossed her face, this time, with a shadow of pity mixed in. With a tone not unlike a parent addressing a young child, she softly explained, "Be patient young one, for someday you will understand. Your place is not among the Legendary, but with your fellow Pokémon, even if your clan may fear you. They do not understand, and that is why they are afraid.

"You are the bridge between two worlds, yet you are hated for it. An Anomaly has never been born without good reason. Your destiny has been set for you, and it will do no good to hide from it," Mew stated simply.

"But…how? I don't know what I'm supposed to do, so how can—?"

"You'll see in due time, young one," she concluded soothingly. And with a slight graceful flick of her elongated tail, she ascended into the air, once again soaring low through the branches of the forest, flying not with wings, but with spirit.

"Mew!" I called out suddenly before she was out of sight. She swiveled around lightly before staring intently at me with her large cobalt eyes.

"Why—why does the sun rise?" I asked.

She gave a small childish giggle and said, "It doesn't really, the earth just spins around, so it looks like it does to us." It may not have made sense to other Pokémon, but I understood. The two of us surveyed each other for several seconds before finally, with a small smile, Mew said, "That's all then?"

No, that wasn't all. There was so much more I wanted to ask her, and even our short conversation had awakened a hunger for knowledge like I had never known before, ultimately concerning what she had told me about the past. She continued to gaze at me expectantly as I reeled in thought.

But then, almost as though with more than mere words, her eyes conveyed to me a message, and even as I struggled to comprehend it, I felt another presence fill mine. It rose like a flame in my soul, and woven within it, I sensed hope…hope for the new era. And then I finally realized that it was not from her, but from the other Different ones of eons past.

Finally breaking free of the hypnotic trance I had been held within, I looked up slowly and answered, "Yeah…yeah that's all…."

She nodded in agreement. "Alright then…"

A/N: Um, yeah, I didn't explain everything for a _reason_, I wanted to leave certain things unanswered. I like one-shots with a certain air of uncertainty. It does connect with my main fic, though… (hint, hint.)


End file.
